


Finding home

by StarlightQueen17



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Bonding, Character Study, First Meetings, Gen, Mentor/Protégé
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2020-06-23 16:21:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19705021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarlightQueen17/pseuds/StarlightQueen17
Summary: Twilight didn’t know why Time had suggested he be a mentor and guide to this new hero. He considered himself a simple man, he wore his heart on his sleeve. Wild was complicated, a mystery even to himself. As Twilight struggles to understand Wild, Wild struggles to understand himself in the new context of a group. As twilight pulls apart the facets of Wild's personality the two try to meet each other half way, but being a mentor isn't exactly what Twilight thought it would be.





	Finding home

The Hero of Twilight considered his charge, the newly dubbed Hero of the Wild, to be something of a contradiction. The boy, and he really was only a boy, had been with them a week and Twilight couldn’t get a solid grasp on who he was. Who he is. It wasn’t a feeling he was used to. In the past, when various incarnations of the hero named Link gathered together, it felt like coming home to an old friend. Meeting Time at sunset at Lon Lon ranch, with his steady voice and gentle hand with the horses, marked him as a good man and a leader. Wind found the group on a sunny day in paradise, showing them his island home like they were brothers. Meeting most Heroes is like finding home. Wild’s introduction had come by way of thunderstorm. 

The band of Links (and Wind insisted that a grouping of legendary heroes would be called a band) had been in this strange new Hyrule for all of a day before the weather turned sour. It wasn’t enough to walk through a hollow shell of the kingdom he once knew, or to navigate between strange machines half buried in the earth, apparently this world shifted weather like Four shifted moods. The rain came down hard and heavy, the wind helping it to fly sideways until it felt like he walked through a wall of water. It brought up unpleasant memories. 

“ Time, Twilight, we need to find shelter. Probably should have done that a while ago, but now works too!” Warrior shouted over the roaring wind and rolling thunder. He was further in the back of the impromptu caravan, harder to see in the dark of the night. Time looked back, his blond hair matted to the side of his face. Their leader, normally the picture of dignity and calm, looked a little silly for once. 

“If you see any place that looks good enough, let me know. I’m as familiar with this time as you are.” Time’s deep voice carried over the storm easily.

“ If we’re not looking for shelter, what exactly are we doing here?” Wind screamed. The youngest clutched Sky’s cape to keep himself steady during particularly strong gusts. Twilight answered, his voice a half imitation of Time’s baritone. 

“We’re looking for our new Hero. If this is a new world it must mean there’s a new hero to protect it. Usually when we arrive it’s close to where he is!” 

“In any case” Time interrupted, “ We should settle down somewhere and pick up again tomorrow. Exploring in these conditions might be danger…” He went silent as a red light shone in his eyes. A mechanical sound hummed in the distance before Twilight yelled, “Take cover!”, tackling Time to the ground as a bolt of light and fire shot through the air. It flew over Time and Twilight, hitting a tree that immediately burst into flame and split in two. 

The heroes scattered, only Time and Twilight sticking together as a team. Separating made it easier to attack and confuse the target, but upon seeing the creature Twilight knew it was best for he and the old man to stick together. Not far from them stood a strange machine on four tentacle like legs. It’s round torso marked with faintly glowing runes, a single eye that danced with a wicked light of dark magic. It was something bizarre and completely new, and very deadly. Twilight remembered the fight against what would later be called a “Guardian” as a mess of light and fury. No one knew what this thing was, or how to beat it. Everyone ran and dodged around it, careful to stay out of its line of sight, but it was too quick. This fight was a dance to avoid being struck and trying to find something that damaged it. A dance that could only go on so long. Twilight swung his sword above his head and threw his full strength behind it as it came down. The steel blade bounced off the strange metal limb, not even a dent left in the target. Then the light of the monster’s single eye shone on him. He threw himself out of the way at the last minute, the beam of light singing his arm and blinding him with pain. Twilight stood with his brothers, breathing heavy and a burning cut in his arm from being grazed by the mecha menace. That is when he saw him. Perched up in a tree was a boy, bow drawn back with an arrow glowing a bright blue. He sent it flying into the eye of their enemy and it shuddered and fell to the ground. His first real look at Wild had been the boy standing tall in the rain, the blue glow of a strange sword at his back, eyes like ice illuminated by a strike of lightning. If what one calls home says anything about a person, then Wild seemed all to at home in the chaos. 

Twilight thought he was a warrior. He could deal with warriors. Every hero knew battle, knew how to fight for their lives and the lives of others, but not everyone was a warrior. Wind was an adventurer, going where he pleased for the thrill of it, fighting to defend himself. Sky was a do gooder, blithely going through life and fighting for others sake. Time, Twilight, and (Obviously) Warrior, were all warriors. The fighting spirit defined them in many ways, made them willful and stubborn. He expected to see that in Wild. In the first hours of knowing him Wild barely spoke or expressed himself. A day and a half after meeting and Wild hadn’t shown the tell tale traits of a warrior. He was quiet, even for this group. Twilight was familiar with fighters, they tend to be larger than life (like Warrior) or commanding (like Time). Wild seemed to easily slip into the periphery, not really taking charge so much as becoming a shadow. When the ghost of a boy first spoke his voice held barely any emotion as he said, “ You could have died out here.” 

He led them out of the storm that night. The following two days passed peacefully thanks to their new guide. Time had been paying close attention to him, and as Twilight was second in command he was paying attention to Time.

“I don’t… what do you mean mentor him?” They sat in the overgrown garden of a hollowed out house that Wild led them to. The others were sleeping inside, dawn had only just begun on their third day in this broken world, and Twilight and Time were the only ones up for watch. Time sat on a bench surrounded by red and gold wild flowers. Twilight stood leaning against a rotted tree. His mentor had a pensive look on his face. 

“If his world was saved why is it still like this. If his world is still in turmoil, what does that do to him? I worry he’s in need of guidance, a mentor to help him grow.” Twilight’s heart was set ablaze with cold fire at those words. “That’s why I think you should be that Mentor, Twilight.” 

The old man could have told him to fight Ganon armed only with Cuckoos and it would have made more sense. 

“I’m not sure if I'm up to playing babysitter, Time.”

“Is that what you think mentorship is? Is that how you see our relationship?”

“Yeah, if I'm being honest it feels like that sometimes.”

Time was teasing, but Twilight wasn’t. Whatever Time thought Wild needed, Twilight didn’t see it.. Light ‘t _hump, thump, thump’_ , sounds came from the house. Twilight and Time caught Wild slipping out of the door, blue cloak fluttering behind him. 

“Go catch up to him. Talk to him if you can.” Twilight listened. That’s how he ended up walking through a snowy mountain at the crack of dawn. Wild can apparently teleport across the country with his magic and simply felt like visiting the tundra this morning. He was dressed well for it, a light blue snow quill coat and pants kept him warm. Twilight was left shivering in the cold air. 

“Do you come here often?” Twilight asked.

“ Often enough.” Wild said as he marched through the snow. He didn’t look back.

“Do you like snowy areas?”

“Nope.” 

“ So this is just some bizarre training then?”

“ You know, if you don’t want to be here, I can send you back.” 

Twilight had literally met more talkative trees than this guy. Honestly, it was one of those traits that made him think Wild was a warrior, stoic and strong. As he moved through the ice white hills he saw Wild study the snow, wind, and rocks with fine detail. His hero title made more sense by the minute. This was not the demeanor of a warrior. This is a person who walks through the dangers of the world and finds the beauty in it. He followed Wild in silence, the boy relaxing as Twilight held his tongue. _Great,_ Twilight thought, _I guess the best way to mentor this kid is to shut up and go away._

“Stop.” Wild’s voice startled him. The new hero pointed to a location down the hill. A moose was drinking from a small pond. Snow gathered on the beast’s large, wide antlers, it’s dark brown fur dusted with snow. Light filtered down from the pine trees and glittered on the water. The world was dangerous, but Wild still protected it for little moments like this. The innocents of nature. Twilight watched the animal with quiet awe. 

Then an arrow struck the creature in the neck

A second arrow. A third arrow. 

Blood ran down the animal’s body as it collapsed into the water. A cloud of red bloomed in the pond. Twilight looked for an attacker, a moblin or bokoblin, but saw only Wild run to the beast’s form, bow in hand. Twilight followed, one foot in front of the other in a staggered pace. 

“I think this will be enough to feed us all.” Wild said. He knelt over the moose and took out a knife. “The skin and hide from this one can probably make a few coats for the others too. We could probably fit ten of Wind in this skin!” Twilight watched as Wild butchered the animal. He didn’t mind the blood on his hands, but he took no joy in it. Wild went on about the uses for each part of the animal in detail. Twilight saw all pretense of Wild as a warrior fall away to reveal a survivor. One who sees the harsh reality of the world and fights to live in it. Suddenly the Hero of the Wild’s withdrawn behavior made sense, the world fit together. _It makes sense,_ Twilight thought, _that someone who fights to survive, who knows death so casually would have little room for frivolous emotion._

That boy is different from the one he sees today. Now Wild sits in front of a deep round pot, humming to himself as he stirs what he calls “risotto”. Next to him is Wind, acting out one of his stories, swinging a stick as he narrates. Their newest member nods along to all the proper places in Wind’s tales, a soft yet genuine smile on his face. They’re in a place called the Great Plateau, Wild says it might be the safest place for them to get acclimated. Twilight sits under the shade of a tree, a little far removed from the rest of the group. He hears Time coming from behind him, his heavy footsteps easy to recognize. His senses were sharp as ever, the one thing Twilight has over his mentor. 

“So, what do you think of him?” Time said as casually as if the boy, their new incarnation, were a new cat he picked up. 

“ He’s an odd duck, that’s for sure.” He glanced over to where Wind and Wild were now humming a song to the food in unison. “ But I’m not sure he needs any guidance. He seems very capable of keeping himself alive, you saw him back there, with the guardian.” Time said nothing for a moment, just looking over the scene before him. 

“I saw a survivor and a warrior. But that’s not all he is, it’s not all any of us are. If he’s going to join us I want him to be himself.” 

“ You think I can help with that?” Twilight didn’t mean to say anything that would activate his mentor’s fatherly instincts, but as he spoke he realized the insecurity in his words. Time knelt down and put his hand on Twilight’s shoulder, looking him in the eye. 

“I think you can do whatever you put your mind to.” 

“Don’t be such a sap.” Twilight said, pushing the older man’s arm away. “ I think he’s shown us enough. He’s quiet, a bit of a stoic, but he gets along with people enough.” Time stands, his armour clinking as he did so. The sunlight hit him and he really looked like a knight in shining armour. 

“He reminds me of a boy I once knew. When people are that quiet it’s for a reason, usually out of fear. Still waters run deep, my friend. I’m sure you can pull more out of him” Time ruffles Twilight’s head as he walked away, towards the camp. The sun is beginning to set and dye the sky a shade of red. Sky, Warrior, and Legend were returning from an exploratory mission. Everyone comes together. 

Wild summoned several bowls and spoons from the tablet he carries, the Sheikah Slate, a device that seems to hold a litany of objects far larger than itself. It was some strange new kind of magic, though Wild had called it “a mix of magic and science”. Wild passed out bowls filled with the risotto, what looked to be a rice dish mixed with grilled bird meat and mushroom. It smelled savory and creamy, Twilight’s stomach growling as he waited for everyone to get a serving before digging in. Wind was the first person to try it, his eyes growing wide with delight at his first bite. 

“This is way better than the dry jerky we’ve been eating before!” 

“For someone from a wasteland, you really know how to cook.” Legend said between mouthfuls of food. Wild had a slight smile as he watched the others eat. Twilight agreed with the others as he ate. Wild’s food didn’t just taste good, it felt like his body had more energy, truly filling a need outside of just eating to survive. Most of them ate what they could find, Twilight himself eating meat raw when in wolf form. 

“Wild, who taught you how to cook?” Twilight asked. The boy looked taken back by the question, his head tilted to the side. 

“Taught me?” His voice was soft, the others couldn’t hear him.

“Yeah!” Wind said, “ You must have worked really hard to learn how to do it so good.” 

“I...I don’t” Wild stuttered, unsure where to focus. 

“ I bet it was Zelda, right? Getting to spend time with the princess and make food? That’s the dream!”

“I think that’s just your dream, Warrior.” 

“ It could always have been from a companion on his quest. Lessons learned on the road.”

“You’re always so wholesome Sky.” 

Laughter and chatter overtook the group. Sky, Legend, and Hyrule, get lots in their own discussion. Warrior, Four, and Wind tease each other with playful insults. Wild sat in silence, eating his food. Twilight got his attention with a tap on the shoulder. 

“ _I’m sorry if I put you in the spotlight. You don’t have to answer.”_ Twilight signed to Wild. He nodded. 

“ _It’s fine. I’m getting used to so many people talking all at once.”_

Wild took a bite of food, his eyes distant and wistful. He reminded Twilight of Time, a little removed from reality in a way. 

“I actually… no one taught me how to cook. I just woke up and started doing it.” 

And like Time, the boy seems to be full of surprises. 

“ I see. You’re quite talented then!” Wild seemed to clam up at that. Twilight finished his food, watching his new friend scroll through his Slate. 

The Great Plateau has warm nights. Not so hot that they couldn’t sleep, but warm enough to sleep under the stars without fear of freezing. Time had volunteered to take the watch for the first half of the night, the rest of the group sleeping soundly in a circle of bed rolls. All except Wild, who slept a bit away from the group, under a tree. Twilight couldn’t sleep. He was restless, his body craving action and his mind craving clarity. He could never tell if that was a trait of the Hero Spirit or just a quirk of his own. He considered Wild, how to address someone who seems so simple and so complicated at the same time. He seemed so open one moment and completely reserved the next he’s singing songs to children, he can face down a Ganon possessed robot with ease, but can’t talk about his talents almost at all. Twilight considered himself a normal guy. Sure, he’s a chosen hero who can turn into a wolf, but just because the world around him is messed up doesn’t mean he is. Maybe he’s not the right fit for this kid. 

A light rustling sound pulled him from his thoughts. He saw a quick flash of a blond bun go by, a figure hidden in the night. It probably would have snuck past everyone else, but not Twilight. Judging by the size and graceful steps of the figure, he had a good idea who it was. 

“ Damn brat.” He said in a whisper. Twilight got up quietly, eyes moving towards Time as he walked by. Time had a smug smile on his face, the kind he wears when he feels completely vindicated. Twilight doesn’t respond, shifting into a large blackand grey wolf, and running off into the night. 

It was easy to follow the kid through the forest. He may be hard to see in his grey and black Sheika armour, but it couldn’t hide his scent. The boy moved north of the camp, past the ruined temple of time and up a steep slope. He perched on the edge of a cliff, legs dangling off the front. A cave like hole was behind him, but he didn’t seem wary of it. He took of the mouth covering and let his long ( for a Link) hair out of it’s bun. He seemed at peace like this. Twilight shifted back to his Hylian form, moving out from the bushes and just watching him. Waiting for something. 

“ Do you not trust me?” Wild said, never taking his eyes off the sky. Twilight stood over Wild, who seemed so much smaller now. He didn’t look at him. 

“ You’re the chosen hero of your world. I trust you as I trust myself.” 

“ That’s not an answer.” Wild said, turning to face Twilight. “A lot of people don’t trust themselves.” Twilight sighd. 

“ Yes, I trust you. I maybe don’t understand you well but,” Twilight sat down next to Wild “I’d like to try?” Wild held his gaze. 

“ Is that why you ask too many questions?” Twilight didn’t know if he was being insulted or not. 

“ Yes, well, asking questions is how people get to know each other. You do know how to talk to people right?” Wild puffed out his cheeks, looking quite childish in Twilight’s opinion. His face was dusted with a light pink. 

“ Of course I do! I mean it’s been a while.” He looked away, the wind catching his hair. “ It’s a lot to adjust to. I’m so used to living my life alone. Suddenly seeing other versions of me, of the Heroic Spirit in so many different lives, it’s a little overwhelming.” Twilight studied the way the boy moved as he spoke. His body was tense, his arms crossed in front of him. 

“It takes some getting used to, but meeting all the other heroes starts to feel like a family after a while.” He takes Wild’s shoulder in hand, just as Time has done for him so many times before. “You don’t have to be alone anymore.” In an instant Wild recoils out of his reach, standing with a rush of grace and panic. 

“ You don’t understand. The idea of not being alone is weird for me. I’ve been alone ever since I can remember. I like it. I finally got to live outside of your legends, and now… I have to keep proving myself to you.” That response isn’t what Twilight expected, and yet something tells him he should have seen this coming. Full of surprises. 

“ You have nothing to prove to us. Plus I think you do pretty well in groups, actually. You listen to others, you like cooking for people, you saved everybody when we first met.” Twilight stood to meet his companion. “ You can’t be alone forever.” 

“ It’s not that I want to be alone forever. I just don’t know how not to be alone. I’m used to going weeks without talking to people, especially on a quest. You guys talk to each other for no reason. You just work together. I don’t know if I can do that.” Twilight watched as Wild withdraw into himself. His voice, his body language, all of it might as well be an iron shield. Twilight adds a new layer to the boy that is Wild. Warrior, survivor, chef, and now a lonely child. 

“Did you mean what you said about always being alone?” He doesn’t answer right away. The silence hangs for a heavy moment.

“Yes. And no. There was once a person who looked like me, and who had my abilities, but he doesn’t exist anymore.” Twilight came a little closer, but was careful not to touch him.

“ You know, being a part of a group is being able to open up to people. If you want.”

Wild looks away, eyes drifting towards the cave. His face is unreadable. 

“ When you asked me who taught me to cook, it wasn’t that no one taught me. I think someone did. I just can’t remember them. I don’t remember a lot of things about myself. Not my birthday, or my family, or where I was born. I don’t know if I had a life outside being a hero, like you do. All I have are the writings of how other people saw me.” Wild turned to look him in the eye. “I don’t feel bad about it though. I feel like I was always trapped by other people. What they thought of me always mattered more than what I thought of myself. When I was reborn, I got to put myself together, alone. I worry that if I’m with you guys, even if I want to be, I’ll lose myself again.”

Twilight couldn’t speak. Didn’t think it was his place to say anything. None of them were really good at talking, but they were all men of action. So he took action. He gently took Wild by the wrists of his armour, gave the boy an opportunity to back a way, and when he didn’t Twilight pulled him into a hug. 

“ What are you doing?”

“I’m hugging you.”

“ I know that, but why?”

“ You could really use one.” 

Wild laughed, a bright and hearty sound. He was still stiff, he didn’t quite know what to do with his hands or body, but he leaned into Twilights arms. Twilight didn’t know why Time had suggested he be a mentor and guide to this new hero. He considered himself a simple man, he wore his heart on his sleeve. Wild was complicated, a mystery even to himself. But as the moon shone bright and silver down on them, as Wild relaxed into Twilight’s arms, as they fell asleep in the mouth of a cave, he started to think it was the right choice. 

They joined up with the group at morning. Time had covered for them, said they were going to take care of a bokoblin horde to close to the group. Everyone was packing up the camp, preparing to head out into the unknown of Wild’s world. Wild led the way, with Twilight at his side. The band of heroes was as talkative and lively as ever, with Wind poking at legend, Warrior and Sky lost in thought, and Time talking with Hyrule. Twilight noticed Wild seemed more relaxed around the group, responding to questions without fear, and joining in on a joke or two. After seeing Wild’s walls come as far down as they were ever going to get (for now, he thought) he could still see the edges in the way the boy walked and talked. At least he could read him just a little easier now. Wild drifted to Twilight’s side, speaking in an almost whisper. 

“ You know, I think my mom taught me to cook.” Twilight’s head spun in Wild’s direction. 

“ Really? You think?” Wild nodded, a small smile on his face. 

“ Yeah. At first I was so lost trying to make anything edible. But one day day when I was cooking, I just started humming this song I don’t know. Something about it helps me remember what to do. The more I hum it the more I think I remember a woman teaching it to me, showing me how to cook at the same time. I’m not sure, but I like to think it’s my mother humming.” 

Twilight ruffles Wild’s hair, a wolfish grin on his face. 

“ Well they say music helps people with amnesia. You never forget the feeling of a good song. And Wild?”

“Yeah?”

“If you can re-learn how to cook, you can re-learn how to not be alone. It just takes practice and maybe a song to help.”

Wild smiles, a goofy grin that makes him look younger than he is. Twilight decided if he had to be a mentor to anyone, he was glad it was this weird, complicated wild child. Finding Wild hadn't felt like finding home, but the new hero could find his home with them. 

  



End file.
